Amusement device



M. U NGER, B S. VEAZIE AND J. W. ZARRO.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 14, 1 920.

SHEET 1.

Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

- 2 SHEETS #rne/ M. UNGER, B. S. VEAZIE AND J. W. ZARRO.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLlCATlON man SEPT. 14. 1920.

1,397,938, Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

2 $HEETS-SHEET 2.

Mow; E yn, Bernhard J- Vial/e 0nd Joseph M. Z-drro UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

MORRIS UNGEB, BERNARD S. VEAZIE, AND JOSEPH W. ZARRO, OF PITTSBURGH,PENNSYLVANIA.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

Application filed September 14, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Mourns UUGER, BER- NARD S. VEAZIE, and JOSEPH W.Zanno, citi- Zens of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Amusement Devices, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to amusement devices and more particularly towhat is commonly known as aerial swings in which a. plurality ofpassenger-cars are suspended from a rotated member, supported by 'atower, so as to be caused to move through the air in a circular path.

One of the main objects of the invention is to provide a constructionwhich can be installed and transported on a special truck or wagon.Another ob ect is to permit the erection or dismantling to be done inthe minimum of time. A further object is to provide the device with thenecessary lifting apparatus for erecting purposes. Further objects willappear from the detailed description.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatusconstructed in accordance with our invention and shown in condition foroperation.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view showing one method of hingedlyconnecting the feet of the tower to the truck frame.

Fig. 3 is a to plan view of Fig. 2.

Fig. i is a front elevation corresponding to Fig. 2

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the top framework supporting thepassenger-cars.

Fig. 6 is a front view of a connecting member, or spider, secured at theouter end of the arms of the top frame.

Fig. 7 is a side view of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of truck with the tower shown in its loweredposition.

Fig. 9 is a rear elevation of the erection derrick.

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic representation of the truck showing the towerin its lowered and raised position.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the preferred method of guidingthe main shaft.

Referring more in detail to the various drawings, the apparatus consistsof a tower 1, preferably of pyramidal shape and Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

Serial No. 410,236.

rectangular cross-section, the two forward legs 2 and 3 of which arehingedly and permanently mounted on pin 4: secured in suitable brackets5, 6, positioned on the top of the frame member 7 and 8 of the truck 9.\Vhen the tower is raised, the two hind legs 10 and 11 are secured tothe truck frame by means of bolts inserted through the soleplate ofthese legs and through the suit-able holes 12 provided in the truckframe.

The raising and lowering of the tower is accomplished by means of thespecial derrick 13, of A shaped frame construction, which is removablysecured to the rear end let of the truck and the two legs of which areeach set in a Sole-plate 15 mounted on the feet 16 and 1? of thecross-shaped ground frame 18, the other pair of feet of said frame beingindicated by the numerals 19 and 20 in Fig. 1. The Windlass 21 used inconnection with the derrick is permanently mounted on the base plate 22depending from the rear end of the truck frame, and is operated by thecrank 23 secured on the shaft of the worm 24 which engages theworm'wheel 25 connected to the drum of the windlass. The hoisting cable26 is wound around said drum and is carried over the guide pulley 27 andattached to the tower at a suitable point 28.

The driving mechanism for the device is installed at the rear end of thetruck and consists of a. motor 29 belt connected to a. counter-shaft 30provided with a friction coupling 3O and a pinion 31 meshing with gear32 securely mounted on the shaft 33, guided and supported by thebearings 23%; the other end of said shaft provided with a bevel gearmeshing with the gear 36 mounted on the lower end of the main shaft 37which extends through and above the tower and which carries the wholetop frame and passenger-care. The lower end of the main shaft rests uponthe cup bearing 38 mounted on the truck and the shaft is guided atvarious intervals by bearings 39 supported by the frame-work of thetower. The upper part of the main shaft is connected to the lower partby a claw-coupling 40 which may be out directly in the shaft, as shownin F 1 or else mounted separately. The arms 41 of the top frame havetheir inner ends engaging suitable pockets 42 provided in the hub member13 mounted on the main shaft whereas the outer ends are provided with aconnecting member or spider dalhaving four lugs arranged in the form ofa cross. The upper lug is used for attaching the ten sion members 46which connect the outer ends of the arms 41 to the flanged hub 17positioned near the top of the main shaft.

The two horizontal lugs of the spider serve to connect the ends of allthe arms by means of the cables or rods 48 in order to distribute thestresses among the arms and to insure the I proper spacing of theirouter ends. The

lower lugs of the spiders are the ones to which the passenger-cars aresuspended by means of the rods 49 indicated in Fig. 1.

The truck frame is constructed in two parts, the rear part with thedriving mechanism is the one on which the tower stands when theapparatus is in o eration and the front end is used solely or carryingthe tower when it is lowered for transport; it is also at the front endthat the horses are hitched. The'two parts of the truck are removablyconnected together i by suitable splice-plates and bolts as indicated bythe numeral 50 in Fig. 8. WVhen the apparatus is to be set up foroperation, the tower is first raised on the rear end of the truck, by

means of the derrick 13 and the forward end is thendetached, as owing toits great length it would interfere with the motion of thepassenger-cars, and the exit of the public.

The rear end is then provided with legs 51 which are detachably securedto it by means of the splice-plates 52 and braces 53. The tower ismoreover strengthened on its four sides by means of the struts 54removably secured to thetower and fastened at their lower end by meansof bolts to the feet of theWground frame 18.

hen the apparatus is to be transported,

the top frame and the upper part of the main shaft are disassembled andthe forward part of the truck is connected to the rear part, after thetower struts have been re moved. The hind legs of the tower are thenunbolted from the truck frame and the tower is slowly lowered with thederrick until it rests upon the forward end of the truck.

The derrick frame and ground frame as well as the other disassembledparts of the apparatus are then loaded on the truck and the whole deviceis re'adyfor transportation.

As will be understood, it may be found desirable to resort to slightchanges in details of construction and arrangementof the;

different parts of the apparatus without departing from the field andscope of the invention, and we intend to include all such variations, asfall within the scope of the appended claims, in this application inwhich a preferred form only of our invention is disclosed.

hat we claim is 1. In an amusement device of. the character described,the combination of a truck provided with a substantially level platform;a pyramidal tower of rectangular base and built in oneunit, mountedthereon and hingedly connected'at the base upon said platform; arotatable member carried by said tower and centrally thereof; means forrotating said member; removable lifting means for raising said tower andmeans for securing said lifting means to said truck.

2. In an amusement device of the character described, the combination ofa truck provided witha substantially level platform and comprising twoseparate sections; means for securing said sections in alinement; a

pyramidal tower of rectangular base and built in one unit, mountedthereon and hingedly connected at the base upon said platform; arotatable member carried by said tower and centrally thereof; means forrotating said member; removable lifting means for selectively raising orlowering -S2t1fl tower into vertical or horizontal positionrespectively, and means for securing said lifting means to said truck.

3. In an amusement device of the character described, the combination ofa truck comprising two sections; means for detachably connecting saidsections; a pyramidaltower of rectangular base, and built in one unit,mounted upon the rear section of said truck and hingedly connectedthereon at the base; a rotatable member carried vertically by said towerand centrally thereof; means positioned on the rear section of saidtruck, for rotating said member; lifting means for raising said towerand means for detachably securing said lifting means to the rear end ofsaid truck. I

kIn an amusement device of the charact-er described, the combination ofa truck comprising two sections of different lengths; means fordetachably connecting said sections; a pyramidal tower of rectangularbase, and built in one unit, mounted upon the rear section of said truckand hingedly connected thereon at the base; a rotatable membercarried'verticallyby said meinber and centrally thereof; meanspositioned on the rear-section of said truck for rotating said member;lifting means for raising said tower; means for detachably securing saidlifting means to the rear end of said truck,

ably securing said derrick to the rear end of said truck and a pluralityof legs detachably securable to the rear section of said truck.

6. In an amusement device of the character described, the combination ofa truck comprising two sections of different lengths;

means for detachably connecting said sections; a pyramidal tower ofrectangular base, and built in one unit, mounted upon the rear sectionof said truck and hingedly connected thereon at the base; means forsecuring said tower into vertical position;

a rotatable member carried vertically by said member and centrallythereof; means positioned on the rear section of said truck for rotatingsaid member; a derrick; means for detachably securing said derrick tothe rear end of said truck and a plurality of legs detachably securableto the rear section of said truck.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

MORRIS UN GER. BERNARD S. VEAZIE. JOSEPH WV. ZARRO.

